Weekend number one is done!
I remembered last minute last week, that I needed to make a cows knee. I picked up a piece of leather, but my wife convinced me I should get some sleep and not try to rush a project a couple nights before needing to use it.
So, I cut a piece of an old poly lined cloth diaper bag (waterproof) and used some leather strips. It worked very well!! I'll have to get to work on making a cows knee.
I used some chapstick to cover the seams around the pan and barrel by the frizzen. For the muzzle, I cut a finger off a thick nitrile gloves and slipped it over and also used chapstick to seal the opening between the muzzle cap and barrel where the glove didn't create a seal.
Yesterday was cold and snowy, 20F and 30mph gusts. My lock stayed dry though!
I saw one bull, far into a draw that would have been a tough haul with the overnight snow forecast. Thankfully, he was by himself and no cows nearby.
Unfortunately, I didn't see any other elk or even tracks, which is strange for that area considering the snow depth. I've hunted there the 4 previous years and have never gone a day without seeing an elk track when there's that much snow. Either last winter's winterkill was worse than I thought, or they haven't showed up to that area yet. The next month will tell.
Today... I chickened out on taking my flintlock out and used my bolt rifle. When I parked, the snow was moving sideways for a good half hour, I wanted to increase my possible range a bit considering the lack of elk yesterday, and the forecast called for up to 8" of snow/rain. It turned out to be a very nasty day and I'm glad I didn't take my flintlock out.
Here's a couple of pictures, Daryl!
